This week the hubs is home, and to be honest, his presence here is throwing me off. At this point I'm still not super confident in my teaching methods, and we're still in the discovery phase of how to teach, so having him here makes me uncomfortable.
That being said, things are going pretty well. The stress level is much MUCH lower than it had been while M was in public school, both for him and me. While there's still stress, it's a different kind of stress.
The other thing that's happening this week is I'm trying to get ready for a 3-day show that I do twice yearly at the State Farmers Market here in Raleigh. I make chain maille jewelry with bicycle parts, and sell it at a few craft shows, online (click here, and in a few stores around the country. I think getting ready for the show is stressing me more than anything else. Well, that, and I have to get a ton of jewelry ready to send to one of my other stores.
Anywho, yesterday M and I tried something different. We started the morning off by going to the gym so I could do a short workout there while he hung out in the childcare center. When that was done, we came home and he decided to try making tipis out of paper clips and tape. It actually worked out pretty well.
Over the weekend I spent some time thinking about different ways of teaching him that don't involve him sitting on his butt at the kitchen table with me. Though that's my preferred method because I'm lazy :P, it's not the way he learns <b>and retains</b> information best. He needs to move and be taught at the same time.
So yesterday I decided to shake things up a bit. Once he was done with the tipis, I directed him to the living room where he could choose from a couple of positions in which to do his work: 1)sitting in a bean bag chair or 2)laying on the floor on his stomach with his elbows propping him up. He chose to sit in the bean bag chair and work. And he worked beautifully there, completely 4 writing worksheets on the Pueblo people. Once I went through his answers, though, things weren't so wonderful for a little while. Some of his answers were nonsensical and incomplete, so we had to find a good way to go through them and get them answered properly. I ended up scribing for him a bit, which was fine. But he was getting agitated and tired, so it was time for a break.
After his break, I was getting agitated with all the noise from hubs completing work on the bathroom, so I grabbed the book M was working in, and M too, and we went outside for a walk. My plan was to get better answers from him on the worksheets he'd been doing before, so while we were walking we also talked. It worked for the most part. There were still things that distracted him, but it was still fun, and he definitely enjoyed it. We probably walked about a mile.
When we got back it was lunch time, so he went and fixed his lunch, then did a few worksheets (who's/whose, their/there/they're). He finished his kachina and worked more on the tipis, then started on Khan Academy. He got really frustrated with it and refused to watch the videos on KA that will help him through the lessons. That's something we're going to have to work on...I'm not that great at some parts of Math, and I'd planned on him using KA for those things.
___________------------___________
Today has been better. I've had to run a couple of errands, and he did exactly what I asked him to do while he was here with hubs. He's also moving pretty fast today, which is nice, because he'll have lots of time to play and I'll have time to work on getting stuff ready for the show, in addition to the last appointment I have today.
I must say, when he's motivated, he can really knock out assignments. I think he's motivated by being done early today because he pushed right through a writing pre-planning assignment I'd given him, and he's now working on his last piece of Math for the day.
I wish I knew why some days he is so motivated and some days, no matter what is offered as motivation, he isn't. I guess everyone is like that, but it's more noticeable with him. His highs and lows are higher and lower than most...
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
Day 8 - Schedule Smedule
Yesterday we had [appointments and] "life skills day." What does that mean? Basically learning how to feed the family, where the food comes from, how much it costs, how to use coupons...stuff like that. So yesterday was a bit of a break from the rigors of a regular school day.
Fast forward to today and it was really hard getting into the groove of school again. Of course, this morning we had to run a few errands, then at about 10:15a we got to work.
Since M really likes working with his hands, I let him work on the Iroquois longhouses for about 15 minutes. After that I started asking him questions about the unit on the Iroquois, only to find out that he didn't remember that much. I was kind of irritated about that because we'd spent time talking about it. So we discussed it again, with me asking him questions, trying to get him to remember the things we'd talked about. Later in the day, while he was doing another hands on assignment, I quizzed him on the Eastern Woodlands people (Iroquois) and on the things we'd learned earlier today about the Southwest Desert Indians (Pueblo). He did pretty well on the quiz, which was interesting to me, because he was doing something else while he was answering me. Sometimes he works better that way.
Around 2 he took another break (he seems to be taking a lot of breaks, so that's something I need to watch), then I told him to work on Khan Academy. Usually Math is something he'll work on for at least 30-40 minutes with no issues. Today he got REALLY frustrated, things escalated between us and we had some words. I explained to him that he is IN SCHOOL and isn't to get up whenever he wants and walk away. He and I need to work on that...I know that's a strategy he uses when he doesn't know how else to deal with a situation, but most people would get pissed if someone got up and walked off in the middle of a conversation or while they were trying to help.
This may sound strange, but I'm glad these things are happening and that I can take notes when they happen to see WHY they happen and WHEN they happen. It will allow me to help him in the future (once I get things sorted out) with the right way to handle uncomfortable situations.
At about 245p I gave him a sheet from a copy of the Math book they use at school (we got it at the Homeschool Gathering Place for FrEe!), and he started having an issue with that. He asked me for help, then got frustrated, at which time I told him we were stopping for the day. I was getting frustrated that he was so frustrated, so it was just time to stop.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
If you read the entry above the _-_-_-_-_ you may be able to understand why I called this entry "Schedule Smedule." I don't think we are cut out for staying on an exact, to the minute schedule. I know I'm not. I understand that M needs to know what's coming next, and I need to know too just for the sake of preparedness, but there's no way in hell I could stick to a half hour or hour schedule like I see some homeschool Moms have. And that may change in the future, but for right now a routine is about all we'll have. And I'm still working out when the best times to do certain things are. When you have a kid with special needs, I think being flexible is key; not sticking to some arbitrary schedule. In addition, a schedule would completely stress me out. Once I know the clock is ticking, my anxiety level goes up which would make his anxiety level go up, just knowing the time to finish is coming up. Not a good thing for us.
I realized, though, that perhaps writing down what I think should happen might be a good idea. So today, after he and I were done with school, that's exactly what I did. And here's what I came up with for Monday:
1. Pueblo writing worksheets
2. Pueblo social studies (show pics/talk about connection to Anasazi)
3. Activity//assignment on Kachina
4. Daily Language Review, week 1, Monday
5. Who's/Whose; Their/There/They're rules and worksheets
6. Main idea discussion and worksheets
7. Khan Academy (finish distributive property exercise and telling time exercise, then do 2 more lessons)
DONE! Unless we feel like doing more.
I would be curious to know if most homeschool Moms have very scheduled day or leave it loose in a routine like me.
Fast forward to today and it was really hard getting into the groove of school again. Of course, this morning we had to run a few errands, then at about 10:15a we got to work.
Since M really likes working with his hands, I let him work on the Iroquois longhouses for about 15 minutes. After that I started asking him questions about the unit on the Iroquois, only to find out that he didn't remember that much. I was kind of irritated about that because we'd spent time talking about it. So we discussed it again, with me asking him questions, trying to get him to remember the things we'd talked about. Later in the day, while he was doing another hands on assignment, I quizzed him on the Eastern Woodlands people (Iroquois) and on the things we'd learned earlier today about the Southwest Desert Indians (Pueblo). He did pretty well on the quiz, which was interesting to me, because he was doing something else while he was answering me. Sometimes he works better that way.
Around 2 he took another break (he seems to be taking a lot of breaks, so that's something I need to watch), then I told him to work on Khan Academy. Usually Math is something he'll work on for at least 30-40 minutes with no issues. Today he got REALLY frustrated, things escalated between us and we had some words. I explained to him that he is IN SCHOOL and isn't to get up whenever he wants and walk away. He and I need to work on that...I know that's a strategy he uses when he doesn't know how else to deal with a situation, but most people would get pissed if someone got up and walked off in the middle of a conversation or while they were trying to help.
This may sound strange, but I'm glad these things are happening and that I can take notes when they happen to see WHY they happen and WHEN they happen. It will allow me to help him in the future (once I get things sorted out) with the right way to handle uncomfortable situations.
At about 245p I gave him a sheet from a copy of the Math book they use at school (we got it at the Homeschool Gathering Place for FrEe!), and he started having an issue with that. He asked me for help, then got frustrated, at which time I told him we were stopping for the day. I was getting frustrated that he was so frustrated, so it was just time to stop.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
If you read the entry above the _-_-_-_-_ you may be able to understand why I called this entry "Schedule Smedule." I don't think we are cut out for staying on an exact, to the minute schedule. I know I'm not. I understand that M needs to know what's coming next, and I need to know too just for the sake of preparedness, but there's no way in hell I could stick to a half hour or hour schedule like I see some homeschool Moms have. And that may change in the future, but for right now a routine is about all we'll have. And I'm still working out when the best times to do certain things are. When you have a kid with special needs, I think being flexible is key; not sticking to some arbitrary schedule. In addition, a schedule would completely stress me out. Once I know the clock is ticking, my anxiety level goes up which would make his anxiety level go up, just knowing the time to finish is coming up. Not a good thing for us.
I realized, though, that perhaps writing down what I think should happen might be a good idea. So today, after he and I were done with school, that's exactly what I did. And here's what I came up with for Monday:
1. Pueblo writing worksheets
2. Pueblo social studies (show pics/talk about connection to Anasazi)
3. Activity//assignment on Kachina
4. Daily Language Review, week 1, Monday
5. Who's/Whose; Their/There/They're rules and worksheets
6. Main idea discussion and worksheets
7. Khan Academy (finish distributive property exercise and telling time exercise, then do 2 more lessons)
DONE! Unless we feel like doing more.
I would be curious to know if most homeschool Moms have very scheduled day or leave it loose in a routine like me.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Day 6 - today was better
Today we did a lot of hands on work like coloring the longhouses for the Iroquois unit we're doing, coloring a canoe model and finishing up an exercise "facility" made completely of Legos for the crabs (we have 8 hermit crabs in case you didn't know). The crab exercise facility was fun for both of us because M got to build it then we both got to watch the crabs "exercise" (yeah...that basically means find a way out of the enclosure and climb all over the little obstacles he put in there).
After we finished our observations of the crabs, we dug into writing. This was at about 11am. He did the first 4 assignments in Lesson 2 (finding the main idea) in the Daily 6 Trait workbook without issue. While I was looking at his answers he started coloring the longhouses. I asked him to stop so that I could explain to him what he needed to fix and he wouldn't stop. It escalated, we both got irritated with the other and then he went upstairs (on his own, not because I told him to). About 5 minutes later he came back down and continued with his shitty attitude, playing with a pencil and eraser while I attempted to talk to him about his writing. I explained to him that I am making an effort to give him the 1 on 1 attention he wants, so he needs to make an effort to work, even on things that suck or are boring. We had another small argument a few minutes later and I realized that he was probably hungry. I told him to go make himself a turkey sandwich because I needed a few minutes to calm down.
After he ate he was fine. And I had the feeling he would be at the moment I told him to go make his lunch. As much as M needs to chill with the attitude, I should have read the cues and realized it was getting close to lunch and he was getting hungry. I know what happens to his ability to control himself when he's hungry, and I think that had I caught the cues prior to letting him get so hungry he got grumpy, we would have skipped the arguing and gotten back to the writing.
Once he settled back in to "school mind" he was able to finish the writing assignment and he did a GREAT job on it!
At about 1:30, while he was working on the canoe project again, he started getting silly and having a hard time focusing. He continued with the canoe project until about 2, when I told him he needed to do his math lessons until 2:30. He sat and did them just as I asked and then went out to get some exercise.
Overall it was a good day. I have to remember to read his cues and help him learn to read them too. I'm very laid back with school, so if he's hungry at any time he can get up and get something to eat, or if he needs a break he can take one. As long as he doesn't abuse these privileges they will stay.
One thing I want to figure out how to teach him is that making mistakes is OK! That's how we learn. But he's such a perfectionist that he gets really pissed when he has to do something over. We're going to work on it.
After we finished our observations of the crabs, we dug into writing. This was at about 11am. He did the first 4 assignments in Lesson 2 (finding the main idea) in the Daily 6 Trait workbook without issue. While I was looking at his answers he started coloring the longhouses. I asked him to stop so that I could explain to him what he needed to fix and he wouldn't stop. It escalated, we both got irritated with the other and then he went upstairs (on his own, not because I told him to). About 5 minutes later he came back down and continued with his shitty attitude, playing with a pencil and eraser while I attempted to talk to him about his writing. I explained to him that I am making an effort to give him the 1 on 1 attention he wants, so he needs to make an effort to work, even on things that suck or are boring. We had another small argument a few minutes later and I realized that he was probably hungry. I told him to go make himself a turkey sandwich because I needed a few minutes to calm down.
After he ate he was fine. And I had the feeling he would be at the moment I told him to go make his lunch. As much as M needs to chill with the attitude, I should have read the cues and realized it was getting close to lunch and he was getting hungry. I know what happens to his ability to control himself when he's hungry, and I think that had I caught the cues prior to letting him get so hungry he got grumpy, we would have skipped the arguing and gotten back to the writing.
Once he settled back in to "school mind" he was able to finish the writing assignment and he did a GREAT job on it!
At about 1:30, while he was working on the canoe project again, he started getting silly and having a hard time focusing. He continued with the canoe project until about 2, when I told him he needed to do his math lessons until 2:30. He sat and did them just as I asked and then went out to get some exercise.
Overall it was a good day. I have to remember to read his cues and help him learn to read them too. I'm very laid back with school, so if he's hungry at any time he can get up and get something to eat, or if he needs a break he can take one. As long as he doesn't abuse these privileges they will stay.
One thing I want to figure out how to teach him is that making mistakes is OK! That's how we learn. But he's such a perfectionist that he gets really pissed when he has to do something over. We're going to work on it.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Day 5 - what do you do when your kid is exhausted?
So this morning M tells me he woke up at 4am, went back to sleep and woke up for the day at 5am. This isn't unusual for him, but it is unfortunate. He NEEDS sleep, but he rarely gets good sleep. At least when he sleeps til 7am he's getting a couple of hours more sleep, even if it isn't great sleep.
I decided that today we'd start off with writing. Writing is hard for M...all the rules and planning that go into writing are difficult for him. He also has really weak working memory, so things that he thinks of may not be remembered long enough to get put into the writing. That's something we are going to work on. I need to find some strategies that will work to help him increase his working memory. One thing I will start having him do is jot down ideas on a scrap piece of paper.
Back to the writing for today...we're starting off with the Grade 3 Daily 6 Trait book. He flew through the first 4 assignments, but is now to the assignment where he has to write a short thing about a topic he came up with in one of the assignments and he has stalled. His resource teacher told me he could bang out 3 or 4 paragraphs, but he's having trouble now getting started on writing just one. I'm not sure what to do.
Ok...it looks like he's chosen something else to write about and now he's writing. :D
He's also annoyed that he can't color his Day of the Dead skull yet. I told him he'd have to wait until my Weight Watchers meeting to do it. That way he'll have something to do while we are there. I really need to get a handle on my weight. My original plan had been that he and I would go to the gym right after dropping J off at school so that I could exercise for a few minutes and he could hang out with other kids. That hasn't happened yet. Granted, we're only on Day 5, but still...I had ideas...
I decided that today we'd start off with writing. Writing is hard for M...all the rules and planning that go into writing are difficult for him. He also has really weak working memory, so things that he thinks of may not be remembered long enough to get put into the writing. That's something we are going to work on. I need to find some strategies that will work to help him increase his working memory. One thing I will start having him do is jot down ideas on a scrap piece of paper.
Back to the writing for today...we're starting off with the Grade 3 Daily 6 Trait book. He flew through the first 4 assignments, but is now to the assignment where he has to write a short thing about a topic he came up with in one of the assignments and he has stalled. His resource teacher told me he could bang out 3 or 4 paragraphs, but he's having trouble now getting started on writing just one. I'm not sure what to do.
Ok...it looks like he's chosen something else to write about and now he's writing. :D
He's also annoyed that he can't color his Day of the Dead skull yet. I told him he'd have to wait until my Weight Watchers meeting to do it. That way he'll have something to do while we are there. I really need to get a handle on my weight. My original plan had been that he and I would go to the gym right after dropping J off at school so that I could exercise for a few minutes and he could hang out with other kids. That hasn't happened yet. Granted, we're only on Day 5, but still...I had ideas...
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